Posted by Kelly Fincham at 7/3/2009 10:41 AM EDT
 
Today's a Federal holiday in the U.S. for Independence Day and not a moment too soon!
 
America suffers from an acute shortage of bank holidays so each one is treated like the very rare and precious mini-holiday that it is.
 
Unfortunately, that means every available escape route, whether air, rail or road, is usually jam packed by 5pm the day before.
 
And just to add to the mayhem, the weather yesterday here in New York was extremely wet so I abandoned any idea of getting out of the city.
 
Traffic on the roads and airports slid to a halt as the very warm rain camed down in virtual sheets; more like monsoon country than New York.
 
So, I am staying put in what the New York Tourist Board calls "Little Ireland," for a weekend of carnivore bbqs!
 
Why Little Ireland? Because Woodlawn in the Bronx has been Irish since about 1890 when Irish immigrants began arriving to seek work on the aqueduct across Van Cortlandt Park from the Croton reservoir.
 
It's so well-known that even the vaunted New York Times did a piece some years ago.
 
And, as part of the NYC Visit Promotion, New York Mayor - and well-known Irish American - Christine Quinn is coming to visit on Tuesday!
 
So, Happy July 4 from Little Ireland in the Bronx!